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Family: Commelinaceae
Mid-Atlantic bloom time: April - July
The Virginia Spiderwort's flower has three petals (usually blue or purple), with six yellow anthers, like its close relative Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis). Virginia Spiderwort's flower stems (pedicels) are slightly fuzzy, whereas Ohio's are glabrous (no small hairs on them). Also, Virginia's flower buds and sepals are slightly hairy all over and are usually inflated-turgid (Ohio's lack hairs except for a small tuft of hairs on their end and are not inflated or turgid). Virginia's leaves are usually a true green (not bluish-green) and are broader than the thin Ohio leaves.
The genus name Tradescantia honors English naturalists John Tradescant the Elder (ca. 1570s – 1638) and John Tradescant the Younger (1608–1662).
The leaves and stems are reported to be edible either fresh or cooked, especially tender early foliage. The flowers are also reported to be edible and look pretty in salads.
Native American tribes like the Cherokee used spiderwort for food and medicine. It was mashed and used on insect bites; a paste made from the roots was used to allegedly treat cancer; and a tea was used to treat stomach-aches or as a laxative. The Lakota made a blue paint from the flowers that they used to decorate their clothing.
Interesting factoid: In both species, the fuzzy filament hairs in the flower change from blue to pink when exposed to low levels of nuclear radiation!
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27 May 2018
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA 
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27 May 2018
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA 
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27 May 2018
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA (note the hairy flower stems and buds) 
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6 May 2019
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA 
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9 June 2019
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA (ripe seed pods) 
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9 June 2019
Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA (open seed pod) 
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